Knife sharpener



Feb 79 95@ E. L. cHAPlN Erm, 2,4965? KNIFE SHARPENER Filed Nov. 15, 2,947

INVENTORB:

@tn/mno L. CHAP/N,

Patented Feb. 7, 1950 2,496,578 KNIFE lSHARPENER Bernard L. Chapin, Winchester, Noble L. Davis, Melrose, and Thomas H. Cabot, Jr., Boston, Mass., assignors to New England Carbide Tool Company, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., a corpora-l tion of Massachusetts Application November 15, 1947, Serial No. 786,210

3 claims. (ci. 76-86) Our present invention relates to knife sharpeners, and particularly to those which are similar, in some respects, to the sharpener disclosed and claimed in a copending application Ser. No. 707,128, now abandoned. The present invention, While not necessarily limited to the particular sharpening elements and angles described in said application, is employed to best advantage when the features described and claimed therein are used.

One object of the present invention is to provide means for holding the sharpening elements in the proper position and relationship heretofore described without the necessity of brazing. Another object is to provide a convenient and inexpensive stand in which sharpening elements of the V-shaped type can be used to best advantage.

The invention will best be understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a casing adapted to hold separate sharpening elements in their proper position.

Fig. 2 is a detail View in elevation of one part thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the part shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail view in elevation of another part of the device.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a Sharpener stand containing the casing shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the device of Fig. 6.

In copending application, Serial No. 707,128, the sharpening edges were held in a frame piece in such manner as to provide a V-shaped aperture of about 40. Their forward faces were disposed at an angle of 75 to the line of draw, and their rearward surfaces were disposed at approximately 5. The sharpening elements were held to the frame-piece as by welding, soldering or brazing. This combination has been wholly successful, and the character of the sharpening elements and their positioning are not improved upon herein. We have discovered, however, that the means for holding them in place can be improved. Instead of forming supporting shoulders in a frame-piece and brazing the sharpening elements thereto, we now hold the sharpening elements in a frame-piece under pressure with a slip-t covering or casing. This avoids the necessity of soldering, welding or brazing, and permits worn-out sharpening elements to be replaced or resharpened with ease. The framepiece is now used to prevent lateral displacement only, while the separate casing is used to prevent displacement in the plane of the drawline. By lateral displacement, we refer to a relative movement which would tend to separate the cutting edges of the sharpening elements, and not to forward or backward displacement along the axis of the draw-line.

Referring to the drawings, a frame-piece I is provided with a cut-out portion 2 adapted to hold the sharpening elements 3 and 4 which will usually have parallel sides 5 and 6. The rear portion of each element is indicated at 5 and the cutting edge is indicated at 6. The cutting edges will be disposed at an angle of about 4t2". The top supporting edges 1 and 8 of the frame-piece I will then be at an angle of 20 to the vertical axis of the frame and the lower supporting edges 9 and I0 will also be formed at the same angle. Edges 1 and 9 and 8 and Ill will bc parallel and spaced a distance equal tothe width of the elements 3 and 4. While the upper part of the X-shaped aperture is open, the lower part is preferably closed by an angular projection II which has sides I2 and I3 which are projections of edges 'I and 8 respectively. The elements 3 and 4 are placed, crossed, in the socket thus formed. Clearance surfaces I4 and I5 face in the same direction, which direction is also the same as the direction of the line of draw a-b. A cover or casing I6 having a notch I1 in the closed edge thereof is slipped snugly over the frametabs I8 and I9 which cross over a slotted por- I tion 20 at the base of the frame and are received in the cut-outs 2| and 22 of the casing. In anyV event, the sides of the cover must hold the cutting elements 3 and 4 under pressure. Either the walls of the cover must be adapted to do so, or else the sides of the cover must be exible enough to transmit pressure from other means so that the elements are held tightly.

The device above described may sometimes be held in the hand and drawn over a stationary blade. However, a firmer grip on the device and a greater pressure on the sharpening elements is usually desired. The device shown in Fig. 6 is, therefore, preferably used. The sharpf ening elements are placed in the aperture in thev` frame-piece I and the frame I is fitted into the cover I6. The ensemble is placed in a slot 3I formed in the stand 30 so as to intersect a. V-shaped draw slot 32 substantially at right angles to a face 33. This form of construction has many advantages. The Whole stand may, and preferably should, be formed of a soft and somewhat resiliently deformable material, such as polystyrene or methyl-methacrylate resin. The frame l and cover L6 are.` suiieientlyl larger than the slot. 3.1 so that the walls; of the slot are. deformed slightly when the covered frame is introduced, and thereafter hold the elements 3i and 4 tightly and under pressure. The feature, oi adequate compression is important, as the elements must not be displaced or their angles changed by the force used in sharpening.

The lower part of the stand can be used as a, strike-plate in the region indicated at 34. In itspreferred form, the stand has a pair of convexly rounded elevations, 35 and 3i formed: inrelief on the strike-stand 34, and these are placed close together to form a narrow groove 31 alongk which the blade of a knife may travel after being sharpg ened. Because of the shapeof thegroove formed between raised arcuate surfaces and the soft character of the material; the blade will` not' lose its ne edge. The stand 3011s preferably molded with reinforcing ridges as indicated at 38', 39 and 40, and suitable holes 4l are provided for attaching the stand to a table or wall.

In summary, the sharpening elements are held by a frame against being' spread or displacedlaterally (as vievvedl in- Fig-Zl from their proper angular position; they are hel'd tightly under pressure by at least one coverl so that displacement along the draw lineis prevented, and pret'- erably they are held' by a resilient cover which is itself compressed by a second casing. Thus, either the` cover Il or the standA SilV may be used alone to obtain pressure on the. sharpening elements, or the cover I1j may be used as a holder to introduce the frame I and sharpening' elements 3 and 4 into the stand 30, in` which. event the walls of cover Hf are sufficiently' resilient to transmit the necessary pressure from thestand. It will be understood that the frame piece I will not be wide enough to interfere with adequate pressure on the sharpening elements.

We claim:

1. A Sharpener for knives'` and the like having; in combination, sharpening elements` disposed in V-shaped relation, a frame-piece adapted to hold said elements against lateral displacement,` a casing having an aperture encompassed by resilient Walls adapted to grip said frame-piece tightly and hold said frame-piece and said sharpening elements against relative movement, and a strikerplate formed on said casing having a groove with convex edges of soft material adapted to receive the. blade of, the knife afterY leaving the sharpening elements, said groove being placed substantially on the line of draw of said knife through A said.V sharpening elements.

2. A Sharpener for knife blades and the like comprising, in` combination, sharpening elements withthe upper parts thereof having sharpening edges disposed in V-shaped relation, an apertured frame-piece forV seating said elements, an aperturedA casing covering the sides of said frame and allof the top portion thereof except in the region of said rst named aperture, in which region said apertures coincide, said casing having resilient Walls contacting the sides of said elements and said frame piece. and exertingY pressure thereon;

3. A Sharpener for knives and the like having; in combination, a pair of sharpening elements, a frame piece having an aperture adjacent the top thereof' and adapted to hold therein said paired sharpening elements with their upper parts in V-shaped relation, and a casing substantially' enclosing said frame: and saidI sharpening elements, said casing having an aperture: registering With said frame aperture, and having. Walls engaging and exertingy pressure on'l the sides of said frame and said sharpening elements.

BERNARD L. CHAPIN. NOBLETL; DAVIS. THOMAS H. OABO'E, Ja;

REFERENCES. GITED' The following references are of record in the le of this patent? UNITED STATES PA'IEEN'IIS Number Name Date 102,727 Stokes May'3, 1870 543,552 Hayes July 30, 1895 1,365,161 Eisenhauer Jan. 11, 1921 1,939,482 Aurili Dec. 12, 1933 2,249,218 Meade et al July 15, 1941 2,432,231 Elphee Dec. 9, 1947 

